Finally found my Krag

[ssgross]

As a hunter I stick with RN anyway

Jon - or anyone else - do you have a favored load for 220RN? I've got a good starting point of the original army load by inferring across the few manuals I have.

Information

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[butlersrangers]

A friend, who fires at vintage matches at Camp Perry, uses 220 grain projectiles and 40 grains of IMR-4350. He gets good accuracy and a good correlation with his sight graduations.

I have not yet used 220 grain projectiles in my Krag. I don't go Hunting these days.
For Range Blasting, I have stayed with 165 grain, 168 grain Match Kings, and 180 RN projectiles.
I've dabbled with some 155 grain cast bullets and 110 grain jacketed RN for cheap practice.

I have a box of 220 grain Sierra 'Pro-Hunter' RN projectiles that I am going to try with 40 grains of WW-760.

BTW- The box of Winchester ammo, that was pictured from "1895", is Hunting ammo, not military. It was likely available for the Model 1895 Winchester, lever-gun.

The early Krag military rounds were 'jacketed' 220 grain RN projectiles.
The cartridge was a 'work in progress' with a lot of trial and error in getting a suitable propellant, and in developing non-mercuric priming, and improving bullet & jacket material.

Early cartridge cases were 'tin-plated' to improve storage longevity and counter-act effects of mercuric priming on brass.

Attached: Photo of very similar 1898 (top with cartridges) and 1896 side-plates. The tin-plated cartridge is 'Frankford Arsenal 1898' and the commercial cartridge is 'Remington-Peters'.
A picture showing the difference in side-plates: The "tenon" (orange line) on 1898 measures about .152" and the tenon on model 1896 (yellow line) measures approximately .132".
A selection of cartridges and reloads that will feed through most of my Krags.

Attachment 111001Attachment 111002Attachment 111003

[browningautorifle]

The "tenon" (orange line) on 1898 measures about .152" and the tenon on model 1896 (yellow line) measures approximately .132".

Now I see...

[jon_norstog]

Jon - or anyone else - do you have a favored load for 220RN? I've got a good starting point of the original army load by inferring across the few manuals I have.

I like 41.5 H4350 (NOT IMR 4350) behind the Hornady 200 RN and 40 4895 with the 180 RN. Both are good, solid loads that will bring down an elk. The 180 RN load chronos pretty close to the factory 180s. Neither load will blow up your gun.

I had a Remington-Lee with two locking lugs on its nickel steel bolt head and two safety lugs. I would use .308 loads in that (not max loads, but pretty stiff ones). I didn't hunt with it because it had a safety on the cocking piece. It would be OK on a stand, but no way could you get off a shot at an elk in cover before it disappeared. Unless you were wiling to carry the rifle with the safety off.

jn